Film Review: Beauty and The Beast 3D

January 9, 2012

Disney’s groundbreaking masterpiece Beauty and the Beast is not only one of the best musicals, or animated features of all time, it was the first Disney animated feature to become a Broadway show and it did so seamlessly. It will now be shown theatrically, as The Lion King recently was, in Disney 3D.

I really enjoyed seeing this classic again on the big screen, The film has been restored to it’s original theatrical length and the depth of the 3D is visually astounding. The added dimensions are particularly noteworthy in regards to scenery which was photographed with several layers over the background, forming a richly textured and far reaching diorama display in motion. The Castle itself becomes a beastly presence that looms over the forest with more majesty and foreboding than ever before.

The film was a delight and the children laughed at all the same parts that I remember myself and the other kids did at that age. But there is something new as well. They’ve included an outstanding Tangled short that cannot be missed. I think it’s one of the best shorts, even with the Pixar ones included. It takes place during Rapunzel’s wedding to Flynn and features Maximus, the horse, and Rapunzel’s pet chameleon Pascal who lose the wedding rings and face insurmountable odds and silliness to retrieve them. I laughed through the entire thing. It was wonderful.

Beauty and the Beast is the story of an inventor’s daughter who is ridiculed by the townspeople of the French province she lives in, because she reads and dreams of a more exciting life. The last thing she wants is for a man to tie her down, but she ends up giving herself as prisoner to a cruel master of an enchanted castle in exchange for her fathers freedom. This celebrated film is certainly a worthy addition to the Disney 3D re-release crowd, with its lush and moody atmosphere the screen opens up and swallows you.